Paterson police investigate two shootings

PATERSON – Two city men were wounded in separate shootings that happened less than a mile away from each other Sunday night and early Monday morning, police said.

A 32-year-old victim was wounded in the face and chest by a shotgun blast during a robbery in the 6th Ward at 4:30 am on Monday, said Lt. Patrick Murray of the Cease-Fire unit.

The victim, who is in stable condition at the hospital, told police he was walking near the corner of 21st Avenue and East 24th Street when two men wearing dark hooded-sweatshirts approached him and demanded his possessions, police said. While the victim was handing over his property, one of the suspects fired a shotgun at him, police said.

The two men then ran away, police said.

In a separate incident, a 22-year-old man was shot in the foot on Pennington Street at 10 pm on Sunday. The victim, who was treated at the hospital and released, told police he was near Market Street, standing with a group of men, when he heard gunshots and was wounded in the foot, Murray said.

“Detectives are currently conducting interviews and checking the area for video footage, and the investigation is continuing at this time,” Murray said.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the shootings to contact Detective Carlos Charon or Prosecutor’s Detective Ricardo Ferreira of the Cease-Fire Unit at 973-321-1342.